HEADLINES

Richard Crawford

Chargers Sign Crawford, Release Marshall

October 27th, 2014 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

2:54pm: The Chargers agreed to terms with cornerback Richard Crawford, a source tells Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). The Oceanside, California native and former Washignton defensive back will take Marshall’s spot on the roster and depth chart.

Crawford was waived by Washington earlier this month and had an audition with the Bucs soon after.

2:04pm: The Chargers have released cornerback Richard Marshall, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

Marshall, 30 in December, has appeared in eight games with one start for San Diego this season. A veteran of nine seasons, Marshall has 80 games and 46 starts on his resume. Going by the basic stats, his best seasons came in 2009 and 2010 for the Panthers, where he had a combined seven interceptions, 17 pass deflections, one forced fumble, and 176 tackles.

The advanced stats haven’t been so kind to him this season. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rates Marshall 90th out of 107 cornerbacks in 2014.

Workout Notes: Bengals, Titans, Giants

October 14th, 2014 at 1:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bengals signed one former Raider earlier today, reportedly adding wideout Greg Little to their roster. And according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), Cincinnati recently took a look at another ex-Raider as well, working out free agent quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Here are a few more notes on workouts, visits, and auditions from around the NFL:

  • With Michael Roos out for the season, the Titans are working out veteran offensive lineman Winston Justice, a source tells Jeremy Fowler of ESPN (Twitter link). Since entering the league as a second-round draft pick in 2006, Justice has had some injury problems and provided inconsistent production, but he has also logged 43 starts, primarily at right tackle.
  • As the Giants try to determine how to plug the hole left by Victor Cruz‘s season-ending patella tendon tear, the team is working out free agent wideout Kevin Ogletree, says Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link). Ogletree had his best season in 2012 for one of the Giants’ divisional rivals, when he grabbed 32 balls and four touchdowns for the Cowboys.
  • Cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks, who was drafted in the seventh round in May by the Bengals and was subsequently cut by the team, visited the Jaguars this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
  • Josh Thomas was the first cornerback to sign with the Jets in the wake of Dee Milliner‘s season-ending injury, but the team has considered other options as well. Wilson tweets that Drayton Florence, Jacob Lacey, and R.J. Stanford all auditioned for the club.
  • In addition to considering Justin Jones, whose workout with the team was previously reported, the Dolphins are also taking a look at tight end Jamie Childers, writes Wilson for the National Football Post.
  • Wilson also reports (Twitter links) that several players visited and/or worked out for the Buccaneers this week. That list includes fullback Lonnie Pryor, defensive end George Uko, and defensive backs Brandon Burton, Richard Crawford, Isaiah Frey, and Trevin Wade.

Redskins Promote Jackson Jeffcoat, Cut Two

October 7th, 2014 at 5:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins have cut a pair of defensive backs from their 53-man roster, according to Zac Boyer of the Washington Times, who reports (via Twitter) that cornerback Richard Crawford and strong safety Akeem Davis have been waived by the team. Edge defender Jackson Jeffcoat has been promoted to the roster using one of those two openings, Boyer adds.

Jeffcoat, an undrafted free agent out of Texas, will have an opportunity to appear in his first regular season NFL game if he remains on Washington’s roster for the team’s next game. Prior to joining the Redskins’ practice squad, Jeffcoat spent time with the Seahawks during the preseason.

In addition to the shuffling of the 53-man roster, the Redskins also cut tight end Ted Bolser from their practice squad, tweets Boyer. The team should now have two openings on its taxi squad and one on its active roster.

Redskins Sign Jamarca Sanford, Richard Crawford

September 29th, 2014 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

3:09pm: The Redskins have formally confirmed the signings of Sanford and Crawford, and also announced (via Twitter) the addition of tackle Terren Jones to their practice squad.

12:39pm: According to Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan (via Twitter), the Redskins will also be signing cornerback Richard Crawford, who has previously spent time with the team but was cut a month ago.

12:23pm: The Redskins have filled one of the two openings on their 53-man roster by agreeing to a deal with free agent safety Jamarca Sanford, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). The team has yet to officially confirm the move, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s announced soon along with another signing, to get back up to 53 players.

Sanford, 29, spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Vikings, becoming the team’s starting strong safety in 2011. He restructured his contract this past offseason, but even that lower cap hit didn’t allow him to save his job — he was one of the players removed from Minnesota’s roster when teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players, initially being placed on injured reserve and then released with a settlement. Since then, Sanford has tried out for the Jets and Bears.

With the Redskins, Sanford will join a secondary that currently sees Brandon Meriweather and Ryan Clark manning the two starting safety spots.

Practice Squad Updates: Tuesday

September 9th, 2014 at 9:24pm CST by Luke Adams

With Week 2 of the NFL season underway, teams have begun to again modify their 10-man practice squads. We’ll have Tuesday’s updates right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The Eagles signed linebacker Brandon Hepburn and offensive lineman Tyler Hoover to the practice squad, writes Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, they released linebacker Colton Underwood, who was signed to the practice squad last week.
  • Running back Chris Rainey and cornerback Teddy Williams have joined the Cardinals‘ practice squad, taking the spots of receiver Kevin Cone and running back Dominique Williams, who was placed on the PS-injured list, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
  • The Redskins have made a couple more changes to their practice squad. According to Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch (via Twitter), former Virginia Tech defensive tackle Derrick Hopkins has been added, while Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets that cornerback Richard Crawford has been cut.
  • In order to make room for the previously-reported practice squad addition of wideout Greg Herd, the Bears have terminated the contract of defensive tackle Roy Philon, the team announced today (via Twitter).
  • Linebacker Josh Kaddu has filled the final opening on the Vikings‘ practice squad, the club announced (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • Tight end Michael Egnew, a former third-round pick, has signed to the Jaguars’ practice squad, replacing offensive tackle Cody Booth, the club announced today in a press release. Tight end Reggie Jordan was also removed from Jacksonville’s injured reserve list.
  • The Chiefs will sign tight end Adam Schiltz to their practice squad, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). We heard yesterday that wideout Armon Binns would also join Kansas City’s practice squad, so the club will have to cut two players from the unit to make the additions official.
  • With an opening on their practice squad, the Broncos have filled it by signing tight end Dominique Jones, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
  • The Redskins have cut wide receiver Nick Williams from their practice squad, a source tells Zac Boyer of the Washington Times (Twitter link).

Sunday/Monday Transactions: NFC East

September 1st, 2014 at 10:20am CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions are noted below.

Additionally, as of 11:00am CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. For the 2014 and 2015 seasons, changes were made to practice squad rules that allow teams to carry eight players instead of 10, and the eligibility requirements for those extra two spots were also loosened. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Dallas Cowboys:

New York Giants:

Philadelphia Eagles:

Washington Redskins:

Redskins Waive Five Players

August 29th, 2014 at 5:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins have yet to officially announce any of their roster moves today, but the team has started to make its cuts in advance of the 53-man roster deadline, which is about 24 hours away. Here are the players cut so far by Washington:

NFC East Notes: Coughlin, Henery, Redskins, Minter

August 17th, 2014 at 10:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Giants‘ offense was sloppy in 2013, with Eli Manning struggling with turnovers early in the season. The team was unable to get on track in time to salvage a playoff run, and it ultimately cost offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride his job. The team hired Ben McAdoo to pick up the pieces and turn the offense around, but the team has been unable to do so as of yet. Head coach Tom Coughlin is unhappy with the progress being made on that side of the ball, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

“It’s obvious, I think we got to work on a lot of things,’’ Coughlin said. “We got to basically work on everything. Last night we didn’t run it, we certainly didn’t throw the ball with any consistency, we don’t have people that are definitely running open, our protection does break down from time to time and we don’t react well under pressure when we do realize there has to be a hot or a sight adjust involved and just getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hand and trying to accomplish a positive play in the face of the pressure.’’

Here are some other notes from around the NFC East:

  • Eagles‘ kicker Alex Henery seems to be winning the position competition, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Despite his struggles in 2013 and this preseason, he has been the only kicker to see action during the team’s two preseason games. Head coach Chip Kelly also noted that Henery has been very good in practice during pressure situations.
  • The Eagles have a number of preseason storylines that are becoming clearer as the preseason progresses. Dave Spadaro of PhiladelphiaEagles.com updates a few storylines, including the ongoing injury situation, the progression of the offense in Kelly’s second season, and some recent roster moves.
  • Final roster cuts are approaching, and the Redskins have a number of players on the bubble of making the team. Rich Tandler and Tarik El Bashir take a look at a few defensive players fighting for the last few spots. They both agree that outside linebacker Rob Jackson and safety Bacarri Rambo will both make the team, while cornerback Richard Crawford will fall short of making the team.
  • Cowboys‘ defensive tackle Zach Minter made an impression in his first preseason game, writes Brandon George of DallasNews.com. Playing against the Ravens on Saturday after being signed on Thursday, Minter had four tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. That performance could help to earn him a spot on a defense that is in need of talent.

Redskins Notes: Jackson, Hocker, Minnifield

June 27th, 2014 at 2:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Rumors of gang connections surrounded DeSean Jackson following his release from the Eagles. The current Redskins wideout previously distanced himself from the accusations, and Jackson again hushed the gossip in an interview with ESPN The Magazine’s Cord Jefferson.

Jackson said that he knows people in gangs, but has never been affiliated. Furthermore, the alleged gang signals the wideout has displayed in games were purely shoutouts to his friends.

“If I score a touchdown or make a play and my boys at home can see me throwing up the area we’re from, that’s me showing them love,” Jackson said. “They weren’t fortunate enough to make it where I’m at. All my friends wanted to be in the NFL growing up, but they weren’t able to do that, and I was. That doesn’t mean I forgot about them. They’re my boys, I grew up with them, and I’m going to give them love.”

Gayle Jackson, DeSean’s mother, weighed in on the outside influences.

“Those guys gravitated toward him because he had structure in his life,” she said. “A lot of time I was trying to chase these cats away. I told him it would catch up with him and that people don’t understand, so he should leave those guys alone. He told me, ‘Mom, you can’t treat people like that.'”

Let’s check out some more Redskins notes, all via the mailbag of ESPN.com’s John Keim…

  • If the Redskins decide to roll the dice with rookie kicker Zach Hocker, Keim believes it will be a gamble. However, Hocker’s main opponent, Kai Forbath, had never attempted a kick in the NFL prior to signing with the team in 2012.
  • Keim says Chase Minnifield‘s chances of making the Redskins will come down to whether the team decides to keep six cornerbacks. Of course, injuries could help his chances. Reversely, the presence of Richard Crawford could hurt those chances.
  • In regards to backups on the offensive line, Keim sides with Mike McGlynn, Morgan Moses, Spencer Long and Josh LeRibeus. If the team carries an additional lineman, Tom Compton could also make the roster.
  • Assuming the defensive line starters are Chris Baker, Barry Cofield and Jason Hatcher, Keim chooses Jarvis Jenkins, Stephen Bowen and Kedric Golston as the three backups.

Chargers Sign Nine To Futures Contracts

January 6th, 2014 at 6:12pm CST by Zachary Links

JANUARY 6TH: The Chargers announced that they have signed quarterback Brad Sorensen to a reserve/futures deal, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). Sorensen, 26, was drafted 221st overall in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Chargers. San Diego cut him in August, but signed him to the taxi squad in December.

DECEMBER 30TH, 5:40pm: The Chargers have also added guard Craig Watts to the list, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (via Twitter).

DECEMBER 29TH, 6:42pm: The Chargers announced that they have signed eight players to reserve/futures contracts today. Here’s the full list, courtesy of ESPN.com’s Eric Williams (on Twitter):

All eight players were signed off of the Bolts’ taxi squad. Quarterback Brad Sorensen was the only player signed to the practice squad at season’s end that was not inked to a futures deal.